43 USC 31 USGS Organic Act

§ 31

TITLE 43—PUBLIC LANDS

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§ 31. Director of United States Geological Survey

TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS

(a) Establishment of office; appointment and duties; examination of geological structure,
mineral resources, and products of national
domain; prohibitions in respect to lands and
surveys
The Director of the United States Geological
Survey, which office is established, under the Interior Department, shall be appointed by the
President by and with the advice and consent of
the Senate. This officer shall have the direction
of the United States Geological Survey, and the
classification of the public lands and examination of the geological structure, mineral resources, and products of the national domain.
The Director and members of the United States
Geological Survey shall have no personal or private interests in the lands or mineral wealth of
the region under survey, and shall execute no
surveys or examinations for private parties or
corporations.
(b) Examination of geological structure, mineral
resources, and products outside national domain
The authority of the Secretary of the Interior,
exercised through the United States Geological
Survey of the Department of the Interior, to examine the geological structure, mineral resources, and products of the national domain, is
expanded to authorize such examinations outside the national domain where determined by
the Secretary to be in the national interest.

For transfer of functions of other officers, employees,
and agencies of Department of the Interior, with certain exceptions, to Secretary of the Interior, with
power to delegate, see Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1950, §§ 1, 2,
eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3174, 64 Stat. 1262, set out under
section 1451 of this title.

(Mar. 3, 1879, ch. 182, 20 Stat. 394; Pub. L. 87–626,
§§ 1, 2, Sept. 5, 1962, 76 Stat. 427; Pub. L. 93–608,
§ 2(6), Jan. 2, 1975, 88 Stat. 1971; Pub. L. 102–154,
title I, Nov. 13, 1991, 105 Stat. 1000; Pub. L. 104–66,
title I, § 1081(e), Dec. 21, 1995, 109 Stat. 721.)
CODIFICATION
Subsec. (a) of this section is from act Mar. 3, 1879.
Subsecs. (b) and (c) of this section are sections 1 and 2,
respectively, of Pub. L. 87–626.
Provisions of subsec. (a) of this section which limited
the salary of the Director of the Geological Survey to
$6,000 a year were omitted as obsolete. See section 5316
of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.
AMENDMENTS
1995—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 104–66 struck out subsec. (c)
which read as follows: ‘‘The Secretary of the Interior
shall report to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate on January 31 of
each year on all actions taken pursuant to subsection
(b) of this section during the year ending on the December 31 immediately preceding the reporting date and on
the results of such actions.’’
1975—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 93–608 substituted requirement of an annual report for requirement of a semiannual report.
CHANGE OF NAME
Pub. L. 102–285, § 10(a), May 18, 1992, 106 Stat. 171, provided that: ‘‘The Geological Survey established by the
Act of March 3, 1879 (43 U.S.C. 31(a)), is designated as
and shall hereafter [on and after May 18, 1992] be known
as the United States Geological Survey.’’
‘‘United States Geological Survey’’ substituted for
‘‘Geological Survey’’ in subsecs. (a) and (b) pursuant to
provision of title I of Pub. L. 102–154, which provided:
‘‘That the Geological Survey (43 U.S.C. 31(a)) shall
hereafter [on and after Nov. 13, 1991] be designated the
United States Geological Survey.’’

CONTINENTAL SCIENTIFIC DRILLING AND EXPLORATION
Pub. L. 100–441, Sept. 22, 1988, 102 Stat. 1760, provided:
‘‘That this Act may be cited as the ‘Continental Scientific Drilling and Exploration Act’.
‘‘SEC. 2. PURPOSES.
‘‘The purpose of this Act is to—
‘‘(1) implement section 323 of the joint resolution
entitled ‘Joint Resolution making continuing appropriations for the fiscal year 1985, and for other purposes’, approved October 12, 1984 (Public Law 98–473;
98 Stat. 1875) [set out below] which supports and encourages the development of a national Continental
Scientific Drilling Program;
‘‘(2) enhance fundamental understanding of the
composition, structure, dynamics, and evolution of
the continental crust, and how such processes affect
natural phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, transfer of geothermal energy, distribution
of mineral deposits, the occurrence of fossil fuels, and
the nature and extent of aquifers;
‘‘(3) advance basic earth sciences research and technological development;
‘‘(4) obtain critical data regarding the earth’s crust
relating to isolation of hazardous wastes; and
‘‘(5) develop a long-range plan for implementation
of the Continental Scientific Drilling Program.
‘‘SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
‘‘Congress finds that—
‘‘(1) because the earth provides energy, minerals,
and water, and is used as a storage medium for municipal, chemical, and nuclear waste, an understanding of the processes and structures in the earth’s
crust is essential to the well being of the United
States;
‘‘(2) there is a need for developing long-range plans
for a United States Continental Scientific Drilling
Program; and
‘‘(3) the Continental Scientific Drilling Program
would enhance—
‘‘(A) understanding of the crustal evolution of the
earth and the mountain building processes;
‘‘(B) understanding of the mechanisms of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and the development
of improved techniques for prediction;
‘‘(C) understanding of the development and utilization of geothermal and other energy sources and
the formation of and occurrence of mineral deposits;
‘‘(D) understanding of the migration of fluids in
the earth’s crust for evaluation of waste contamination and the development of more effective techniques for the safe subsurface disposal of hazardous
wastes;
‘‘(E) understanding and definition of the size,
source, and more effective use of aquifers and other
water resources; and
‘‘(F) evaluation and verification of surface geophysical techniques needed for exploring and monitoring the earth’s crust.
‘‘SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION OF CONTINENTAL SCIENTIFIC DRILLING PROGRAM.
‘‘The Secretary of the Department of Energy, the
Secretary of the Department of the Interior through
the United States Geological Survey, and the Director
of the National Science Foundation shall implement
the policies of section 323 of the joint resolution entitled ‘Joint Resolution making continuing appropriations for the fiscal year 1985, and for other purposes’,
approved October 12, 1984 (Public Law 98–473; 98 Stat.
1875) [set out below] by—

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TITLE 43—PUBLIC LANDS

‘‘(1) taking such action as necessary to assure an effective, cooperative effort in furtherance of the Continental Scientific Drilling Program of the United
States;
‘‘(2) taking all reasonable administrative and financial measures to assure that the Interagency Accord
on Continental Scientific Drilling continues to function effectively in support of such program;
‘‘(3) assuring the continuing effective operation of
the Interagency Coordinating Group to further the
objectives of such program;
‘‘(4) taking such action to assure that the Interagency Coordinating Group receives appropriate cooperation from any Federal agency that can contribute to the objectives of such program, without adversely affecting any program or activity of such
agency;
‘‘(5) acting through the Interagency Coordinating
Group, preparing and submitting to the Congress,
within one hundred and eighty days after the enactment of this Act [Sept. 22, 1988] a report describing—
‘‘(A) long and short-term policy objectives and
goals of the United States Continental Scientific
Drilling Program;
‘‘(B) projected schedules of desirable scientific
and engineering events that would advance United
States objectives in the Continental Scientific
Drilling Program;
‘‘(C) the levels of resources and funding for fiscal
year 1989 that would be required by each participating Federal agency to carry out events pursuant to
subparagraphs (A) and (B);
‘‘(D) the scientific, economic, technological, and
social benefits expected to be realized through the
implementation of such program at each level described in subparagraph (C);
‘‘(E) a recommended course for interaction with
the international community in a cooperative effort to achieve the goals and purposes of this Act;
‘‘(F) the extent of participation or interest shown
to date in the Continental Scientific Drilling Program by—
‘‘(i) any other governmental agency;
‘‘(ii) any academic institution;
‘‘(iii) any organization in the private sector;
and
‘‘(iv) any governmental or other entity in the
international community;
‘‘(G) a plan to develop beneficial cooperative relationships among the entities mentioned in subparagraph (F), to the extent that the Interagency Coordinating Group deems practicable; and
‘‘(H) any other information or recommendations
that the Interagency Coordinating Group deems appropriate; and
‘‘(6) submitting to the Congress annually, beginning
one year after the submission of a report under paragraph (5), a report describing the levels of resources
and funding that would be required by each participating Federal agency for the next fiscal year to
carry out events pursuant to paragraph (5)(A) and
(B).’’
[For termination, effective May 15, 2000, of provisions
of law requiring submittal to Congress of any annual,
semiannual, or other regular periodic report listed in
House Document No. 103–7 (in which a report required
under section 4(6) of Pub. L. 100–441, set out above, is
listed as the 10th item on page 149), see section 3003 of
Pub. L. 104–66, as amended, and section 1(a)(4) [div. A,
§ 1402(1)] of Pub. L. 106–554, set out as notes under section 1113 of Title 31, Money and Finance.]
Pub. L. 98–473, title I, § 101(c) [title III, § 323], Oct. 12,
1984, 98 Stat. 1837, 1875, provided that: ‘‘It is the sense
of the Congress that the Continental Scientific Drilling
Program is an important national scientific endeavor,
benefiting the commerce of the Nation, which should
be vigorously pursued by Government and the private
sector. The Continental Scientific Drilling Program is
an important national scientific endeavor that is vital
to the understanding of the geologic evolution of the

§ 31a

Earth and the economic value of its resources; the most
effective and efficient means of realizing the fullest potential in the Continental Scientific Drilling Program
is through a cooperative effort by the Department of
Energy, the National Science Foundation, and the
United States Geological Survey; many important
commercial and scientific advances may result from
the Continental Scientific Drilling Program; and many
foreign nations are engaged in a comparable deep drilling program, and cooperation and coordination would
be beneficial to United States efforts. It is the sense of
the Congress that—
‘‘(1) the Continental Scientific Drilling Program is
an important national scientific endeavor by the
United States which should be enthusiastically implemented through a joint cooperative effort among
the United States Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and the United States Geological Survey;
‘‘(2) the private sector should be encouraged to support the Continental Scientific Drilling Program and
the participating agencies should solicit appropriate
private sector participation in such program; and
‘‘(3) the United States Government should cooperate to the extent practicable with the international
community in developing this important scientific
and technical activity.’’

§ 31a. Findings and purpose
(a) Findings
The Congress finds and declares that—
(1) during the past 2 decades, the production
of geologic maps has been drastically curtailed;
(2) geologic maps are the primary data base
for virtually all applied and basic earthscience investigations, including—
(A) exploration for and development of
mineral, energy, and water resources;
(B) screening and characterizing sites for
toxic and nuclear waste disposal;
(C) land use evaluation and planning for
environmental protection;
(D) earthquake hazards reduction;
(E) predicting volcanic hazards;
(F) design and construction of infrastructure requirements such as utility lifelines,
transportation corridors, and surface-water
impoundments;
(G) reducing losses from landslides and
other ground failures;
(H) mitigating effects of coastal and
stream erosion;
(I) siting of critical facilities; and
(J) basic earth-science research;
(3) Federal agencies, State and local governments, private industry, and the general public depend on the information provided by geologic maps to determine the extent of potential environmental damage before embarking
on projects that could lead to preventable,
costly environmental problems or litigation;
(4) the combined capabilities of State, Federal, and academic groups to provide geologic
mapping are not sufficient to meet the present
and future needs of the United States for national security, environmental protection, and
energy self-sufficiency of the Nation;
(5) States are willing to contribute 50 percent of the funding necessary to complete the
mapping of the geology within the State;
(6) the lack of proper geologic maps has led
to the poor design of such structures as dams
and waste-disposal facilities;